Cervical medication and artificial insemination means



July 1, 1958 w; J. HEUBOSKI CERVICAL MEDIQATION AND ARfIIFIQIAL INSEMINATION MEANS Filed June 20, 1955 Walter Jjieaboski Y B A; m Aliormey M m m m United States Patent-O CERVICAL MEDICATION AND ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION MEANS Walter J. Heuboski, Skokie, Ill., assignor to George Stubbs, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 20, 1955, Serial No. 516,636 18 Claims. (Cl. 128-235 This invention relates to artificial insemination and cervical medication, and is concerned more particularly with improved means for and methods of preparing therefor. V g

It is an object of the invention to facilitate the work of the physician in placing a medication or semen at the cervix of a patient. g

It is also an object to provide means whereby the likelihood of spilling or other escape of semen or medication from a cervical cup or the like before or during placement and while in use is substantially minimized or precluded.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention will be better understood upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of a device embodying features of the invention, showing how the cup while about the cervix is supplied with semen or medication.

Fig. 2 shows an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows how the plug is about to be rammed to plug the cup after the medication or semen has been introduced into the cup and the introducing means has been removed.

Fig. 4 shows the plug rammed to plugging position adjacent the cup.

Fig. 5 shows the cup assembly inoperative position.

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 4 but shows how the plug is rammed back to its initial position. I

Fig. 7 is a top plan view taken on the line 77 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 in Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9'-9 in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, disclosing an illustrative embodiment of the invention, there is shown at 14 a device comprising a cervical cup or cap 16 having a hole 18, and a resiliently flexible thermoplastic hollow stem or duct 20 having an outside diameter normally greater than the diameter of the hole. The duct 20 may be molded integral with the cup 16' or may be attached to the cup as by squeezing an end of the duct and passing it, like threading a needle, through the cup hole 18 and pulling a short portion of the duct into the cup, the duct part 24 remaining in the'ihole being thereby constricted; heating said portion until it is soft enough to be shaped; and pressing said' portion against the inner surface 26 of the cup" so as to flare said portion into the form of a flange 28 substantially in surface engagement with the cup, the flange shape being retained upon cooling. If desired; the flange 28 could be formed independently of the cup 16. A preferably flexible loop 30 is secured, as by cement 81,'to an intermediate part 32 of the duct 20 for apurpos'e which will appear.

2,841,146 Patented July 1, 's

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For a patient whose cervix is directed more or less toward the mouth or anterior end 34 of the vaginal canal 36, the cup 16 will fit the cervix 38 with the cup bottom 40 more or less facing the mouth of the canal, so that, if the duct 20 is attached at the cup bottom, the duct need not be folded from the place of attachment in order to extend along the canal toward the mouth thereof and accordingly such a construction would be satisfactory. However, if the patients cervix directly faces the bottom of the wall of the vaginal canal, as shown in Fig. l, and the duct is secured directly to the bottom 40 of the cup 16, the device would be inoperative since it would be necessary to fold the duct adjacent its place of securement to the cup and thus close or substantially close the duct so that no or substantially no medication or semen could be injected into the cup through the duct.

In order to provide a device which is suitable for use with the cervix regardless of the position of the cervix relative to the vaginal canal, I have secured the duct to the cup in offset relation to the cup bottom 40. With this construction, the cup can be positioned with the attached end of the duct at the front side of the cup as seen from the mouth of the canal, regardless which of the above-noted positions the cervix occupies relative to the canal, and accordingly the duct will extend, without folding, outward along the canal. The yieldability of the duct 20 permits of its being easily flexed to a substantial extent, without folding, adjacent its throat 24, and throughout its length, to assume readily a position and shape to which it is confined by the walls of the vaginal canal.

The duct 20 is formed near its outer end 42 with a hole 44, and a plug such as a ball 46, of plastic or other suitable material, and capable of having a sliding fit in the duct, is Wetted with a suitable lubricant such as glycerine and placed in said end of the duct and positioned between the opening 44 and the duct end, sub stantially as shown in Fig. 1.

In making use of the cup assembly 14, the physician, using forceps, or digitally, positions the cup 16 as noted above, the duct 20 preferably being of such a length that the opening 44 and ball 46 are slightly out of the vaginal canal when the cup is so positioned; then he takes a hypodermic type syringe 48 in which the usual needle is replaced by a plastic or other soft flexible tube 50 connected by an adapter nipple 52 to the syringe cylinder 54, collects a suitable quantity of the medication or the husbands or donors sperm, as the case may be, supplied to thephysician in a sac or other container, inserts the tube through the duct hole into and along the duct until stopped by engagement of the adapter with the outer end of the duct (Fig. l), the tube end 56 then projecting through the throat 24, and injects the liquid into the cup, where it is held substantially as shown at 58, the tube being of sufiiciently small outside diameter to afford clearance at the hole and throat for the escape of air displaced by the injected liquid; the physician then removes the syringe, and places the free end 60 of the stem 62 of a ramrod 64 against the outer face of the ball 46 and pushes the ball until stopped by engagement of the ball with the constricted portion 66 of the duct, adjacent the throat 24, the ramrod being preferably so designed that at this occurrence the ramrod handle 68 engages the outer end of the duct, the ball so positioned preventing leakage of the injected substance from the cup 'so that at least a portion of the contents 58 of the cup may enter the cervical canal 70, and the ramrod is then withdrawn; then he folds the outer portion of the duct, as indicated at 72 (Fig. 5), into the vaginal canal and inserts the outer end of the duct between the loop 30 and the adjacent part 74'of the duct, where the outer end of the duct is U removably held against accidental escape. The fold 72' insures against leakage of any liquid which, "duet'o manufao suction the'reat, and then, pulling onthe folded part of the duct 20, removes the devicebodilyfrom the patient. The physician then unfolds the duct and, using the ramrod 64, pushes the ball 46 outward along the duct (Fig. 6) until the ramrod handle 68 engages the duct flange 28 or the inner surface 26 of the cup, as the case may be, with the ball then in its initial position, removes the ramrod, and squeezes the duct so as to eject the ball from the outer end of the duct] Now the cup with attached duct and loop, and the ball, are sterilized for the next use thereof. Where the physician does not desire to reusethe assembly 14, he simply discards it upon removal fromthe vaginal canal.

The duct opening 44, although readily admitting the injector tube 50, is preferably too small to permit escape of the ball 46 therethrough.

The cup 16 is preferably formed of. polyethylene and the duct 20 and loop 30 of the same material as the cup or polyvinylchloride, and the ramrod of Lucite, or other materials which are suitable may be employed. The ramrod may be rigid but is preferably resiliently flexible yet sufficiently stitf to enable it to pass substantially fully into the part of the duct confined in the vaginal canal.

Various modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention. Hence I do not wish to be restricted to the specific forms disclosed or uses mentioned, except to the extent indicated in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as the state of the art will permit.

I claim:

1. A cervical cup, and an open-ended, thin, singlewalled duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse hole adjacent its other end and between its ends, said hole being disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix and being adapted to receive the bent end of a tube to be extended down the duct to direct fluid into said cup.

2. A cervical cup, and an open-ended, thin, singlewalled duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse hole adjacent its other end and between its ends, said hole being disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix and being adapted to receive the bent end of a tube to be extended down the duct to direct fluid into said cup, the wall of said duct being imperforate except for said hole.

3. A cervical cup, and a duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse hole adjacent its other end and between its ends, said hole being disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix, the place of connection being disposed between the rim and the bottom of said cup.

4. A cervical cup, and an open-ended, thin, singlewalled duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse hole adjacent its other end and between its ends, said hole being disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix and being adapted to receive the bent end of a tube to be extended down the duct to direct fluid into said cup, and said duct being substantially entirely outside said cup.

' 5. A cervical cup, and an open-ended, thin, singlewalled ductconnected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup"alon'g the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse hole adjacent its other end and between its ends, said hole being disposed outside the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix and being adapted to receive the bent end of a tube to be extended down the duct to direct fluid into said cup.

6. A cervical cup, and an open-ended, thin, singlewalledduct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix and being adapted to receive the bent end of a tube to be extended down the duct to direct fluid into said cup.

7. A cervical cup, a duct connected to and communicating with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the-vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix, and a plug engaged in said duct at a point outside of said opening where it permits communication along said duct between said opening and the interior of said cup, and said plug being movable in the duct to a point therein which is inside of said opening where it blocks said duct between said opening and cup.

8. A cervical cup, a duct connected to and communieating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted to receive the end of a semen injector tube and positioned to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix, and means adapted selectively to'close said duct at a point therein between said opening and cup.

9. A cervical cup, a duct connected to and communicating with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix, and a plug slidably engaged in said duct and adapted to occupy positions in which it selectively permits and prevents communication between said opening and the interior of said cup.

10. A cervical cup, and an open-ended, thin, singlewalled ductconnected to and communicating with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, and' having between its ends and adjacent its outer end a transverse hole at the urethral side thereof, said hole being adapted to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix and being adapted to receivethe bent end of a tube to be extended down the duct to direct fluid into said cup.

11. A cervical cup, and a duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from'said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening remote from said cup, and a plug engaged in said duct and adapted to occupy a position where it does not prevent communication along said duct between said opening and the interior of said cup, said plug being slidable along said duct to a position where it prevents such communication, said duct having a constriction preventing passage of said plug intosaid cup.

12. A cervical cup, and a duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup'is about the cervix, and a plug engaged in said duct and adapted to occupy a position where it does not prevent communication along said duct between said opening and the interior of said cup, said plug being slidable along said duct to a position where it prevents such communication, and means preventing escape of said plug from said duct into said cup.

13. A cervical cup, and a duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix, and a plug engaged in said duct and adapted in one position to permit communication along said duct between said opening and the interior of said cup, said plug being slidable along said duct to a position where it prevents such communication, said plug being insertible into and removable from said duct through the other end of said duct.

14. A cervical cup, a duct connected to and communieating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix, and a plug engaged in said duct and adapted to occupy a position where it permits communication along said duct between said opening and the interior of said cup, said plug being slidable along said duct to a position where it prevents such communication, said plug being freely impassable through said opening.

15. A cervical cup, a flexible duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix, and a plug engaged in said duct and adapted in one position to permit communication along said duct between said opening and the interior of said cup, said plug being movable along said duct to a position where it prevents such communication.

16. A cervical cup, a duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted in one position to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix,

and a plug engaged in said duct and adapted in one position thereof to permit communication along said duct between said opening and the interior of said cup, said plug being slidable along said duct to a position where it prevents such communication, said duct being flexible and foldable between said cup and said opening, and adapted to be maintained in folded condition by the wall of the canal.

17. A cervical cup, and a duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted in one position to be disposed'adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix, and a plug engaged in said duct and adapted in one position to permit communication along said duct between said opening and the interior of said cup, said plug being slidable along said duct to a position where it prevents such communication, said duct being flexible and foldable between said cup and said opening, and a loop cooperating with said duct for maintaining the folded condition thereof.

18. A cervical cup, a duct connected to and communicating at one end with said cup and adapted to extend outward from said cup along the vaginal canal, said duct having a transverse opening adapted to receive the end of a semen injector tube and positioned to be disposed adjacent the anterior end of the vaginal canal when said cup is about the cervix and being flexible and foldable between said cup and said opening, and means for holding said duct in its folded condition where the duct is blocked between said transverse opening and cup.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNIT ED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,061 Kirk Aug. 11, 1936 1,991,278 Heintz et a1. Feb. 12, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 17,891 Denmark Sept. 24, 1913 OTHER REFERENCES The Cervical Cap, 1. A. M. A., May 31, 1952, vol. 149, No. 5. 

